FAITH COMES BY
HEARING AND HEARING BY THE WORD
Acts 10:24-38
A CHANGE OF HEART
This story starts with a vision from God to a Roman soldier
who loved God and was generous to the poor. Because of his prayers, his love
for God and his love for the poor,
God made available to him the preaching of the Gospel through the Apostle Peter.
At that time, Jews were still holding on to their law that
they could not fellowship
with Gentiles (anyone who was not a Jew).
Prior to the visit to
Cornelius, a Roman soldier, God visited Peter in a vision.
God had to break down the belief in Peter's mind that the
Jews were better than
Gentiles. God made it known to Peter that He was no
respecter of people, and
the Gospel of Salvation was available to all who would
believe. Acts 10:1-23
A REWARD FOR GODLINESS AND LOVE
V:24. " The following day he arrived in Caesarea .
Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close
friends."
A. You have to expect that God will do what He says He will
do.
1. The Christian
life ought to be one of happy expectations.
2. We ought to get
up in the morning expecting God to do something special in our
lives.
B. We should be so excited about God, that we share our
excitement with friends and
relatives.
1. People around us
need the Word just as much as we do.
2. We get excited
when our favorite team wins. Why not get excited about Jesus?
3. With Jesus, we
are always on the winning side.
4. We know that the
battle has already been won, so that should be the source of
our joy.
WORSHIP GOD ONLY
V: 25-26. " As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met
him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up.
"Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
A. No preacher or teacher should be reverenced.
1. We are all
equal servants in God's eyes.
2. The only person
we should bow down to is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
B. All believers have a job to do and are at different
stages of spiritual development.
1. We all have been
given the ministry of reconciliation. 2
Cor 5:18
2. Some of us are
new to the ministry and some are mature.
3. The older mature
Christians ought to teach the younger Christians.
4. Peter was
teaching respect of God and not man.
ASSEMBLY OF THE SAINTS
V:27-29. " Talking with him, Peter went inside and
found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: "You are well aware
that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him.
But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean."
A. When you have been trained in the Word, you should live
by the Word.
1. One of the
things we find common in Peter and Cornelius is obedience to the
Word of God.
2. God said, and
they both acted upon the Word.
3. God said, and
they both acted immediately upon the Word.
4. God said, and
they both believed the Word.
B. You never know what ministry God has for you when you
visit the lost.
1. A large crowd
of people in the dark need to hear the word of truth
from you about
the light that is Jesus Christ.
2. To much is
given, much is required.
3. We get much
preaching and much teaching in the Church.
4. God expects us
to do much sharing of the Word outside the walls of the Church.
C. All us have a testimony of what we use to be.
1. All of us have
a testimony of how God change our heart to focus on Him and His
Word.
2. It is the
sharing of our testimonies that encourages and uplifts others.
3. We have not
always been right. We got a history of being wrong.
4. People need to
know that it is Jesus that makes a difference in our lives.
OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD
V:29-32. " So
when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you
sent for me?" 30 Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house
praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining
clothes stood before me 31 and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and
remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called
Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the
sea."
A. Sometimes God will send us some where or direct us to do
something without giving
the reason for
His command.
1. When you
meditate on the Word and are open to hear from God, He will give
insight and
enlightenment when your mind is on the Word.
2. You will notice
that both Peter and Cornelius were in prayer when they got a
vision from
God concerning important activities in their lives.
a. Their prayers
were prayers of devotion.
b. Their prayers
were prayers of service.
c. Their prayers
were on a regular basis.
d. They had a
lifestyle of prayer.
3. God is every
where, all the time and knows what you need when you need it.
B. God prepares the hearts of people to hear a Word from Him
through you.
1. God chooses the
time of our conversion.
2. God chooses the
place of our conversion.
3. God chooses the
person who will be the first to preach the Gospel to us.
A CALL TO PREACH
V: 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you
to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the
Lord has commanded you to tell us."
A. There is a window of opportunity to hear the Word of the
Lord.
1. Tomorrow is
not promised to us.
2. The Word of
the Lord is so important that we need to move immediately to
listen to the
man of God proclaiming His word.
B. It is God who
gives the preacher a Word to give to His people.
1. Peter knew that
he was speaking to a group of people who knew God,
but had not
heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. There are
Churches on every corner who have different beliefs about God, Jesus
and the Holy
Spirit.
3. There are many
who believe in God, but have no knowledge of the saving Grace
of Jesus
Christ.
4. There are many
who believe that God is God and Jesus is the son created by
God.
C. It is the Job of
the preacher to teach that God is the Father and Jesus is the Son but
equal with the
Father.
1. Jesus said
that I am one with the Father.
2. It is the job
of the preacher to proclaim the Gospel of salvation through faith
in the
atoning blood of Jesus.
A TESTIMONY
V: 34-35. " Then Peter began to speak: "I now
realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men
from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message
God sent to the people of Israel ,
telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all."
A. One of the main doctrines of God the Father is that we
are all equal.
1. The Word
states, that there is none righteous, no not one.
2. All have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.
B. God's example to Peter in his vision was one of foods
that the Jews held to be
unclean.
1. It was true
under the Law that some foods and animals were considered unclean, but
not true under
Grace.
2. Jesus death
under the Law fulfilled all the requirements of the Law.
3. Jesus death freed
us from the penalty of the Law.
4. The Law was
unforgiving, but Grace is all forgiving.
5. The Law
condemns, but Grace saves.
C. Peter preached the keeping of God's commands.
1. Jesus said if you love me, keep my
commands. John 14:15
2. Jesus said, if
you love me, love your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 10:27
3. We have peace
with God through the atoning blood of Jesus.
PREACH THE GOSPEL
V: 37-38. " You know what has happened throughout
Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went
around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil,
because God was with him."
A. To bring salvation to the World, God followed His perfect
plan that was published
in the Old
Testament hundreds of years earlier.
1. Isaiah 40:3-5 is
the prophecy of John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus Christ
( 700 BC).
2. Isaiah 53 is the prophecy of coming of the
Messiah, Jesus Christ to be the blood
sacrifice for
the sins of man (700 BC).
3. The Old
Testament contains the complete record of God's plan of redemption.
B. Peter preached the fulfillment of God's Plan of
Redemption in the crucified Christ.
1. Peter knew Jesus
through the prophecies about Him, the witness of His miracles
and the witness
of His death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.
2. Peter had a
solid foundation in the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
3. It is up to us
to study and meditate on the Word Of God for ourselves.
4. God has a
mission for each of us.
a. He communicates
to us through prayer,
b. He communicates
to us through others devoted to Christ.
c. We must at
all times be open to a word from God.
d. We are
blessed when we serve others.
SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
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